Of Man And Hircine
by Connorgetaways
Summary: The story of how Farkas and Vilkas came to live with the companions, how they grew and how Farkas fell in love with a legend.
1. In The Dark

A/N: This story is a special gift for my friend Nicole, who wants to see this story written as much as I do.

This will be mostly Farkas-centric. For now it will be focusing on Farkas and Vilkas' childhood but it will eventually have a Male!Dragonborn/Farkas romance.

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><p><strong>In The Dark<strong>

His arm hurt from where his mother's hand held him like a vice.

Farkas threw a wild eyed look at his twin, who was being dragged by their frantic mother as well, and received an identical look in return.

_What was happening? Why was their mother afraid? Or had they done something wrong?_

Their mother led them to the fireplace. She let go of their arms and, with visibly shaking hands, yanked the rug off the floor to reveal a hidden trap door.

Farkas threw another look at his brother. Had that always been there?

Vilkas shrugged, looking just as bewildered as his twin.

Their mother grabbed hold of a loop of rope and heaved the trap door open, then turned to look at her children. For a brief moment, her fear and anxiety were replaced by love and sorrow, she looked like she was about to cry. Seeing their mother close to tears was was the most frightening thing to Farkas. Their mother was a proud woman and a strong shieldmaiden, she never cried. Why was she about to cry now? _What was happening?_

Her hands smoothed their hair away from their faces and the corners of her lips twitched upwards in an attempt at a reassuring smile but her attempts were foiled by her tears. She kissed their foreheads and pulled their heads to her shoulders roughly and squeezed them in an embrace.

Suddenly, there was a loud bang and a chorus of squeels from the horses outside. The sound made their mother hastily pull them away from her.

"You must hide." She whispered urgently, "Go down the steps, quickly. Do not make any sound and do not come out until either someone you know comes for you or everyone leaves. Stay down there and stay absolutely quiet no matter what you hear. Do you understand?"

When they did not respond immediately, she shook their heads slightly from where she still held them, "_Do you understand_?" she repeated, more urgently this time.

They both nodded, even though Farkas was sure neither of them understood anything that was happening.

Their mother stood and herded them towards the stairs and they ran down into a dark cellar. There was another bang and they turned to look up at their mother. She attempted another smile and she whispered a quick but heartfelt "I love you both so much." before she quickly and quietly pulled the trap door shut and returned the carpet to cover the hidden door again, shutting off most of the light in the process.

Farkas turned to look at his brother, who looked just as confused and frightened as he felt. There was a loud bang that could only have been the front door slamming into the wall and both their heads whipped back to stare at the wooden ceiling.

"Finally found you!" singsonged a man's voice. The voice was not deep but something about it sent shivers up Farkas' spine.

"Why are you doing this? I'm retired now, i have no part in your schemes." came their mother's reply, her voice cold and sharp like a blade, so different from the warm tone she used with them.

Vilkas moved towards the steps but Farkas grabbed his arm, worried about what might happen to his twin if he went too close. Vilkas shook him off and sent him a glare before quietly walking up the steps. Farkas cast a worried glance at the ceiling before tentatively following his brother.

"People don't retire from our line of work, my dear Brynja."

Vilkas leaned on the railing of the steps and peered through one of the gaps between the floorboards. Their were no other gaps big enough to look through, so Farkas settled for listening and anxiously watching his brother's expression.

"There's a first time for everything."

"Not this time, I'm afraid."

Their mother suddenly let out a battle cry and then there was the stomping of running feet heading in the direction of the front door. There was a crackling sound and a flash of light followed by a cry of pain from their mother and a thud that made Farkas jump and a hand fly to cover Vilkas' mouth. Farkas stepped onto the next stair, his small hand finding his brother's other hand and leaned forward to try and peer through the gap as well.

Their mother groaned and the man chuckled, "That was rude, Brynja. Does this mean you won't change your mind?"

"May the Daedra take you!" Their mother choked, her voice filled with pain.

"That was rude too." Light flared through the cracks in the floorboards and then their mother was screaming.

Farkas jolted and was about to shove his twin out of the way to look through the gap but the hand that was on his brother's mouth was suddenly covering Farkas' eyes and Vilkas' voice hissed into his ear, "Don't look, Farkas! Don't look!"

He could feel his twin shaking and Farkas felt the dread he'd been feeling since their mother started dragging them around by the arm settle into his stomach like a heavy stone. Why shouldn't he look? What had the man done to his mother? Was she dying?

His blood chilled as his mother's scream trailed off and the light died out. Everything was silent for a long moment and Farkas stood holding his brothers hand and wished with all his might that the man would go away and his mother would make a sound.

The man tsked, "It's a pity. I actually liked you."

There were footsteps heading out the door and Farkas heard the man's muffled voice shout "We're done here, lads. Take any gold you can find and let's go."

Vilkas wrapped his arms around him and Farkas returned the embrace and they both sank to sit on the step. Farkas could feel his twin's limbs shake, his tears soaked the shoulder of his tunic and he found himself crying into Vilkas' shoulder in return.

Vilkas did not need to say anything for Farkas to know his mother was dead.

There was rummaging in the house above them for the next few minutes. Things fell and crashed to the floor, making the twins jump every time, but they continued to hold each other, trying not to make a sound as they grieved their mother in the dark.


	2. Jergen

Farkas was so tired.

His back ached from lying on the steps with Vilkas, his head ached from all the crying, his eyes burned from lack of sleep.

He didn't want to sleep. He was afraid of what his dreams would bring.

It was morning now, the intruders left hours ago. There was a smell of cooked meat that hung in the air. They briefly considered leaving but they dared not leave. Instead, they agreed to wait until morning, both to make sure the intruders are long gone and to stay just in case someone came for them.

Farkas lifted his head at the sound of a horse's gallop approach the house. Vilkas sat up and Farkas followed.  
>The horse slowed outside the house and there was a thump as the rider jumped off his horse.<p>

"Brynja?!"

It was a man's voice. The voice was deep, gravely and rang with concern. It was the opposite of the voice they heard yesterday. Vilkas stood and when Farkas joined him, Vilkas wrapped an arm around his brother's shoulders protectively and Farkas' arm automatically raised to wrap around his twin's waist.

The man's footsteps grew closer, " Brynja? Bry- Gods! Brynja!"

The footsteps ran towards where Farkas knew his mother lay. A part of him hoped that they were wrong, that his mother was merely unconscious. His hopes were dashed when the man spoke again, his voice sorrowful, "Oh, Brynja. I'm sorry I was late. May you find peace in Sovngarde."

Farkas closed his eyes, fighting back tears again. Vilkas' hand squeezed his shoulder.

"Vilkas! Farkas!"

The twins tensed and held their breath.

"Where are you, boys?" the man called, then his voice lowered, as if speaking to himself, "Divines, please let them be alright."  
>Farkas looked at his brother and was met by a questioning look. Farkas gave a slight shrug, just enough to tell his brother he didn't mind revealing their location to the man but not enough to dislodge his twin's hand from his shoulder. Vilkas nodded and lifted his head to watch the wooden boards above them.<p>

"Boys!" The man shouted again.

"We're down here!" Vilkas yelled back, his voice hoarse.

There was shuffling and the rug was pulled away. The trap door creaked open to reveal their savior. Farkas squinted through the bright flood of morning light to get a good look at him.

He was big and bulky, built like a bear, covered in steel armour and brown furs, with a sword hilt just visible from over his shoulder. His hair was dark, long and looked tousled and windswept. The man sported a well groomed beard and a scar that slashed across the bridge of his nose and left cheek. Piercing silver eyes came upon their huddled forms and his bearded face expressed relief.

"Thank the divines you're both alright! I'm here to take you somewhere safe."

The twins exchanged another wary look, a silent discussion passed between them.

"Come on now, boys. I promise I won't bite." he assured them gruffly.

Vilkas' hand fell from his brother's shoulder and Farkas' hand moved to take Vilkas'. They squeezed each other's hand briefly in solidarity. Then slowly, warily, walked up the rest of the steps towards the stranger.

"Go right out the door, don't look back." The warrior instructed as he ushered them out, blocking Farkas' view of his mother's body.

The stench of smoke and burned meat was stronger outside of the cellar. The place was a mess. The furniture was overturned and books were torn and thrown across the room, sending paper everywhere. Their mother's favourite chair lay in pieces and there were bloody footprints on the floor.

Vilkas tugged on his hand and dragged him towards the door and, as they were walking out of their home for the last time with the man not far behind, Farkas caught a short glimpse of his mother's body. Bloody, scorched and lifeless.

* * *

><p>The twins stood, hand in hand, watching the stranger readjust the saddle on a massive horse. The man had informed them as they walked away from the house that they were riding to the town of Whiterun and should be there by mid afternoon.<p>

"Who are you?" Vilkas finally asked the question they had both been wondering.

"My name is Jergen. Did your mother ever speak of me?"

Vilkas and Farkas shared a look to check if the other recognized the name, then replied in unison, "No."

The man, Jergen, sighed and muttered something Farkas didn't catch, "I'm an old friend of your mother's." He told them simply.

"Alright," Jergen motioned them forward, "Come here and I'll help you up onto the horse. You first, Vilkas."

Vilkas let go of his twin's hand after giving it one last reassuring squeeze and shuffled forward. Jergen lifted him with ease, setting him down behind the saddle's pommel. He waved Farkas forward and when he obeyed, Jergen grabbed him gently but firmly under the armpits and lifted him up to place him behind his brother. Farkas wrapped his arms around his twin's waist, seeking comfort in having his brother close.

Jergen pulled himself up behind Farkas and his muscular arms reached around the twins for the reigns.

"Hold on tight now." he warned them before spurring his horse forward with a slight nudge to the flank and the horse took off towards what would be their new home, leaving their old one behind.


	3. Aela the Mighty Nord

**Aela the Mighty Nord**

Jorrvaskr was large and shaped like an overturned ship.

It was also very noisy and smelled like mead with a hint of wet dog, which was a bit strange, as there were no dogs in sight.

The twins were sitting quietly on a bench, watching from a distance as Jergen spoke to a man that he introduced as Kodlak the Harbinger. Jergen was the one doing most of the talking, his hands gesturing occasionally as he spoke. Kodlak stood two paces in front of him, arms crossed and expression grim, listening intently to whatever Jergen was saying.

"Hello there!"

The two boys jumped violently, sending the bench back to hit the railing, and whirled around to face the source of the cheerful, high voice that suddenly spoke from above them.  
>It was girl about their age with fiery hair pulled up in a messy ponytail and a wide cheeky grin stretched across a freckled face. She had pulled herself up to lean over the rail above them, her small booted feet dangling off the floor of the platform.<p>

"You're new here." She noted, her tone curious.

Vilkas was the one to reply, "Aye, we just arrived."

"Oh! I hope you're staying then, there's never anyone my age here! My name is Aela!"

She jumped down from the rail and ran across the platform and down the steps to meet them.  
>"Are you twins?"<p>

Farkas glanced a his brother, sharing a wary look with him. The twins rarely had the opportunity to speak with other children. Their old home was remote with no neighbours around for acres. They only saw other children whenever they accompanied their mother to nearby villages on market days and even then, it was mostly other boys that played with them. The girls normally preferred to stay near their mothers or to play with other girls, away from anything that might dirty their dresses.

Aela was clearly different from those girls. She was bold and playful. She did not wear a dress but a long belted tunic with high boots instead and her pale, bare knees were smudged with dirt.

When Vilkas' shoulder twitched in a subtle shrug, silently conveying to his brother to go ahead and introduce them, Farkas spoke, "Yes. My name is Farkas and this is my twin, Vilkas."

Aela's playful grin was back, "Good to meet you, Farkas and Vilkas. Do you want to play with me? Eorlund, that's the black smith at the Skyforge, he made me some wooden practice swords last week and i've been dying to try them!"

Excitement bubbled in Farkas' chest at the mention of swords. He liked this girl already, she was nice and she was offering them swords. emSwords!/em Granted, they were wooden swords but that did not matter to Farkas, it was one step towards his dream of becoming a brave warrior, just like his mother. The corners of his mouth moved upwards in the beginnings of a smile before he was struck with a pang of guilt.

His _mother_.

How could he feel happiness when he would never see his mother again? How could he smile and laugh when his mother was left scorched and bloody in a ruined home?

But his mother wasn't in their ruined home, was she? She was a brave warrior, and his mother used to tell them that brave warriors that died in battle went to Sovngarde. His mother was dining in the hall of fallen heroes, and although he was sad she would never hold him again, never tousle his hair or tell him stories, he knew that she was somewhere better, somewhere more worthy of her, and there was no need to be guilty. She would want her children to be happy, wouldn't she? Farkas believed she would. She always did try to make them laugh and she would encourage them whenever they were disheartened. She used to tell them that their smiles were the light of her life...

Farkas looked at his brother, who was now scowling with wet eyes. Farkas suspected that Vilkas' line of thought had followed his own but had not reached the same conclusion.

He wasn't surprised. Vilkas had always been the more pessimistic of the two.

Farkas nudged his brother, deciding that he would have to be the one to ensure his brother smiled again. He would make his mother proud and take care of Vilkas, just like Vilkas was sure to care for him.

"Come on, Vilkas." He whispered pleadingly to his twin, "It will be good practice. We can be warriors like mother was."

He watched as several emotions passed through Vilkas' eyes before settling on determination and excitement. Vilkas nodded in agreement and they both turned to Aela, who was still patiently awaiting their reply.

"We would love to."

* * *

><p>Aela had taken them through the back door. There was a deck with tables and chairs and beyond the deck was a spacious training area with practice dummies set up near the wall surrounding the back of Jorrvaskr. She pulled two wooden swords from a weapons wrack on the left side of the deck and handed them to the twins before retrieving one for herself and leading them to the training area.<p>

There was a man hacking away at dummy by the wall and a woman was standing off to the side, sending mocking remarks to the man who promptly mocked her in return. Neither of them payed the children any mind, both too busy with their banter.

Aela suggested they play pretend and announced that she was their enemy, a valiant nord hero protecting the innocent "civilian" dummy, and they were the Imperial villains who need to take her down. Farkas had raised a skeptical eyebrow at this and Vilkas had scoffed and told her she wouldn't be able to beat them.

Aela was not discouraged, however. In fact, she laughed at Vilkas and said, "We'll see about that, Grumpy."

Which, of course, only made Vilkas grumpier than he already was.

Farkas was hesitant to raise his practice sword on Aela at first, she was smaller than them and seemed more fragile, but it became clear to him fairly quickly that, although she was smaller, she was also faster and already knew how to hold a blade. The twins were clumsy with their practice swords in comparison, their swings were wider and slower.

They played for a long time, each playing their part in their game of pretend. Vilkas became steadily less ill-tempered and more playful.

By the time Jergen and Kodlak came looking for them at sundown, the twins were on the ground, covered in dust and sweat, laughing as "Aela the Mighty Nord" made her victory speech.


	4. Ignorance

A/N: Special thanks to Jools and Nicole for being awesome people to bounce ideas off of. Thank you!

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><p><strong>Ignorance<strong>

Jergen was rarely in Jorrvaskr. He tended to leave for days at a time, doing jobs for the Companions.

Farkas still could not figure out what it was the Companions _did_ exactly. Whatever it was, it required them to be able warriors.

Whenever Jergen was in Jorrvaskr, he would spend his time with the twins, teaching them what he could. When he was away, however, they spent their time either playing with Aela or learning from their elders.

Kodlak was a veritable well of information and that made him Vilkas' favourite person.

Kodlak was what Farkas thought a grandfather would be like. He seemed ancient to him but he could only be in his forties. He was educated, level headed and dignified, possessing all the qualities Vilkas admired. Kodlak was a serious man, not the kind of serious that seemed sulky and brooding like Vilkas, but the kind that seemed thoughtful.

He wasn't always serious though, sometimes he let his his wry sense of humour show, mostly for the twins' benefit, trying to lighten the mood when the boys were too quiet. When they were bored, he would tell them stories, old legends that have been passed down to him by his father.

Of all of Kodlak's stories, Farkas loved the legend of the Dragonborn most of all.

Apart from Kodlak, Eorlund Gray-Mane was Vilkas' other favourite person, for he knew much about Whiterun's history and some of Jorrvaskr's as well, but weapons and steel were what he knew best.

Eorlund told the twins he was not a Companion. When they asked, he said that he only had the honour to be their blacksmith because there was no one else who knew how to use the Skyforge, but Farkas wasn't so sure about that. It is true that the man rarely spent time inside Jorrvaskr's hall, preferring to spend time with his family instead, and it is true he didn't do any jobs for the companions like Jergen did, but he was respected by all the companions and they often asked him to join them for dinner and the drinking parties that the twins and Aela were not allowed to attend, making him something of an honourary member regardless of Eorlund's modesty.

Aela's mother, Astridr, was an intimidating woman. Her face was beautiful, the kind of beautiful that was surreal, and her red hair matched her daughter's, usually left mostly loose with some of it braided back and away from her face. She was fairly tall and slim but also muscular, able to lift and wield heavy two handed weapons with practiced ease. Her eyes were an ice blue, made more unnerving by the dark war paint smudged across her eyes.

Farkas was not sure he'd ever seen the woman without her war paint and armour. It made eating breakfast with her a little unsettling.

Despite her...frankly terrifying appearance, Astridr was kind to the twins and took it upon herself to look after them. She arranged for them to sleep in the room across from the room she shared with her daughter and made sure they slept at the same hour as Aela. She insisted they sit by her and her daughter at meal times too, piling their plates high with food and making them eat it all, even the vegetables, much to the twin's displeasure.

Astridr promptly included them in Aela's training and took the time to teach them the basics of sword fighting, sometimes teaching them how to use other weapons as well.

Aela seemed to favour archery to the sword. Farkas was convinced she made the right choice, for she seemed to enjoy it and she was really good at it, rarely missing her mark. The twins, on the other hand, were more inclined towards short range weapons.

Vilkas had been a bit distant lately. Before, when they had been with their mother, the twins did everything together. Now that they were in Jorrvaskr, Vilkas was apparently finding other people's company more favourable.

When he was with Farkas, he would stand next to him but they did not communicate as easily as they used to. Sometimes Vilkas would purposely ignore any attempt at communication, sometimes he would ignore Farkas altogether, pretending his brother was not there at all. If Farkas presses for a response, Vilkas would either snap at him or give him short and curt replies.

And it _hurt_.

There were nights when Vilkas would come to him, sneaking into Farkas' bed when he thought he was asleep. If Vilkas discovers that Farkas was not asleep, he would go back to his bed without a word, ignoring him completely when Farkas would ask what was wrong. So Farkas pretended to be asleep, just so he could pretend that everything was alright and they were just sharing a bed again, like they would when they were younger.

Farkas was concerned for his brother. He was not sure what made Vilkas behave this way but he feared his brother hated him. Vilkas was his entire world. They were brothers. _Twins_. Born on the same day, bathed in the same water and slept in the same bed from the moment they came into this world. He was not sure what to do without his brother at his side. He felt lost, like a fish on land, without his brother to share everything with. He could not even make simple decisions without his eyes seeking his brother out, wondering what he thought.

It almost felt like losing a limb.

It was not until he spoke with Astridr about it that he understood.

It was after one of the training sessions with Astridr. Vilkas had shrugged him off again and gone in search for Kodlak, eager as ever to hear more stories. Aela had disappeared somewhere, probably to chat with one of the other Companions or cause mischief.

Farkas knew he needed help. He was not sure what to do anymore and he hoped Astridr would be able to help him understand his brother, maybe even help him fix whatever he had done to make Vilkas hate him.

The door to Astridr and Aela's room was partially open but he knocked anyway.

"Come on in, Farkas." Astridr's voice called from within.

He pushed the door open, the hinges creaking with age. Astridr was sitting at a small round table in the corner, still in full armour, mending one of Aela's torn tunics with a needle and thread.

"How did you know it was me?" He wondered.

Astridr gave him a secretive smile but did not answer his question. She stuck the needle into the cloth of the tunic and placed it on the table.

"Come, sit." She instructed, leaning over and patting the other side of the table, indicating that she wanted him to sit across from her. He shuffled over and hopped into the chair.

"Do you want to tell me what has had you brooding all week?" She asked shrewdly.

Farkas flushed in embarrassment, "I haven't been brooding." He mumbled.

Astridr gave him a look that was so reminiscent of the look his mother gave him when he tried to lie to her that Farkas had to swallow the sudden lump in his throat.

"Alright," he admitted,"So I was brooding."

"What about?"

Farkas shifted nervously in his chair before answering.

"Vilkas. I...I think he hates me. I don't know why he does but...I want to fix it."

Astridr's brow furrowed in concern and leaned closer, resting her elbows on the table. "Why would you think that?"

Farkas blinked back tears, "I don't know!" He huffed and shrugged jerkily, frustrated, "He's been acting weird. He doesn't talk to me anymore, he avoids me and when he's not ignoring me, he's yelling at me! I just..." He trailed off for a moment and when he spoke again, his voice was softer, "I want my brother back but I don't know what I did wrong."

Astridr's face softened. She reached out and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Oh, Farkas. Vilkas doesn't hate you."

Farkas took a deep breath, still trying to reign in rebellious tears, "He doesn't?"

"No, pup. You and your brother have been through a lot and people deal with things differently. I think there are many reasons your brother acts the way he does, I think it's partly because he doesn't know what to do with his anger towards the loss of your mother and he deals with it by wrongfully taking it out on you."

Farkas' shoulders slumped.

"But I think it's also partly because your brother wants to make a name for himself, away from you."

The words stung and Farkas frowned, hurt and confused, "I don't understand."

Astridr smiled patiently, "It's hard for you to understand because you are different from Farkas. You want to be with him always, right?" Farkas nodded, "But your brother wants to be unique. He doesn't want to be known as a twin, he wants to be known as Vilkas, and that can't happen until he's away from your side."

Farkas huffed again. His vision blurred and he bowed his head, reaching up to wipe at his wet eyes.

"I think he might be a little jealous of you too."

His head snapped back up to stare at her with a slack jaw, "What?"

Astridr chuckled, "You've been doing really well in your training. You're a natural with a sword and it's already clear with how fast you've grown since you came here that you'll be tall and strong."

Farkas' cheeks burned, unused to such praise.

"Your brother is good with a weapon but i think he has noticed that you pick up on things faster than he does. How frustrating do you think it would be, if you were trying to be good at something, only to find your brother is better at it?"

_Very frustrating_. Was that why Farkas was so angry with him? Now that he thought about it, Vilkas had only started his sulking after their third training session with Astridr. Astridr had complimented Farkas on his form that day. It had only gotten worse since then as Farkas grew more comfortable with his practice sword. Maybe if...

He forced a smile, "Thank you, Astridr, I think I understand now."

She smiled, "You're welcome, pup."

She gave his shoulder a squeeze before leaning back in her seat. Farkas took the opportunity to hurriedly leave the room, feeling awkward after their heart to heart.

Later, when they were all having dinner, Vilkas was sitting beside him, listening to one of the Companions tell a story. It was something about Dwemer mines but Farkas was only half listening until Vilkas made a comment about Aetherium.

That was his chance.

"What is Aetherium, brother?" Farkas asked, feigning ignorance.

He already knew what Aetherium was. He had read about it in one of Kodlak's books when he was bored one night, having been left alone by Vilkas that night.

Vilkas looked torn for a moment, like he wanted to ignore his twin but he also wanted to answer him. Vilkas' expression finally settled on resignation and Farkas felt hope flare in his chest.

"It was a kind of crystal the Dwemer discovered. It's bright blue and it glows and it's very very rare. It's very precious to _mages_." Vilkas said the last word with disgust, "Apparently, it has magical properties."

Farkas did his best to look impressed, "Wow, that sounds amazing! Where did you learn about that, Vilkas?"

His brother straightened in his chair and preened, his expression smug, "I read a lot. I know a lot about these things."

"How come you're so much smarter than me, brother?" Farkas asked. He worried that his delivery might have been a little transparent, but Vilkas seemed to buy it.

His brother smirked, "Don't worry about that, Farkas."

Farkas felt a flash of anger at his brother's condescension and quickly squashed it down, forcing a look of admiration on his face instead.

_Stick to the plan, Farkas._

"Will you tell me more about the Dwemer?" He requested, hoping Vilkas would take the bait.

Vilkas' self-satisfied smirk widened into a smile, "Of course."

Farkas glanced at Astridr who met his gaze with knowing disapproval. He ducked his head sheepishly and turned his attention back to his twin.

He spent the rest of dinner listening to Vilkas lecture him on the Dwemer, trying his best to maintain his ignorant facade and feeling lighter now that he had his brother back.


	5. Secrets

**Secrets**

Farkas was not aware of what woke him, only that it was still dark.

He sighed and pulled himself away from the comfort of his bed, he had considered going back to sleep but he was incredibly thirsty. He stifled a hiss as his bare feet touched the cold stone floor and lamented leaving the warmth behind as he quickly made his way to the door.

Farkas peered in the direction of Vilkas' bed as his hand found the door handle in the dark. He could just make out his brother's shape on the bed but could not see if he was awake.

It has been a couple of years since Farkas began his game of pretend. Vilkas had stopped his nightly snuggling not long after.

Things were not as they used to be between the twins, the equality and understanding they had before their mother's death was now gone. Now, they were The Brains and The Brawn.

Or at least that was what Vilkas and the other Companions believed.

Vilkas thrived in his new role as the smart twin, his smug smirk becoming as much his default expression as his grumpy frown.

Skjor, a new addition to the Companions, had told everyone who would listen that Vilkas had the smarts of Ysgramor and Farkas had his strength.

Aela had recently started calling him "Ice Brain", a nickname born of an embarrassing incident involving slippery ice and his skull. Unfortunately, he had not been pretending then. Even more unfortunate was Aela's steadfast refusal to let him forget his only moment of genuine stupidity. The other companions seemed to think it fitting and had quickly adopted his new nickname.

His facade had fooled everyone, it seemed. Everyone except Astridr.

She had mercifully kept his secret despite her obvious disapproval, but that did not stop her from sending him the standard look of motherly disapproval every time he feigned ignorance.

It frustrated him sometimes, that no one besides Astridr realized it was all an act. He knew that it was mostly his fault, for continuing the act for so long, but it was the only way he knew to keep his brother at his side. He feared his brother's abandonment more than anything and he was willing to pretend until the day he died if that was what it took to keep them together...

Farkas shook his head, burying his depressing line of thought deep, and left the room, stepping into the candlelit corridor. He scanned the tables for something to drink, spotting a pitcher of water on one of the tables near Kodlak's chambers.

As he padded closer to the table, he could hear the murmuring of voices from within the chamber. He recognized Jergen's gravelly baritone and Kodlak's strong voice but he could not make out what they were saying. It sounded as if they were arguing about something.

Deciding it was none of his business, Farkas grabbed a tankard and quietly placed it next to the pitcher. Just as he reached to pick up the pitcher, he heard Jergen's voice rise sharply, sounding increasingly angry by the second.

Alarmed and a little curious, Farkas wondered if he should interfere. He was concerned that their (clearly heated) argument might escalate into a fist fight. Kodlak was generally not predisposed to violent arguments but Farkas knew Jergen had a short fuse and he doubted Kodlak would remain docile if Jergen attacked.

On the other hand, Farkas might get yelled at for being up so late and interrupting a private conversation.

Farkas left the pitcher and tankard on the table and moved closer to the door. He could hear Kodlak speaking, his voice sharp and angry.

Farkas struggled with himself for a moment. He knew it was rude to eavesdrop, his mother had chided the twins about eavesdropping on people's conversations on market days enough times for him to remember that, but he was also still torn over whether or not to interfere or distract the men behind the door.

And he might be a little curious too.

Just a little.

He leaned forward, pressing his ear against the cool wood of the door.

"-do not care what you believe, Jergen! I will not lay this curse on a fully grown warrior, let alone a pair of children!"

Curse? Why is Kodlak talking about cursing children?

"It is not a curse, it is a gift! A gift that will protect them-"

"They have _us_ to protect them, they do not need the blood."

_The blood? That sounds gruesome._

"We cannot protect them from disease and we cannot always be there to protect them! If we give them the blood-"

"And who will protect them from the Silver Hand? Or have you forgotten about them altogether?"

_The Silver Hand?_

"We can speed up their training! Farkas is strong and he already comfortable with his practice sword and Vilkas is fast and just as good with a weapon-"

_They are arguing about **us**?_

"They're good with their toy swords, yes, but they are still seven years old and I am not tainting those boys-"

"_They are **my** sons!_" Jegen barked, startling Farkas with his abrupt outburst. His voice was more enraged than Farkas had ever remembered him being.

_Wait..._

_His **sons**?!_

_Jergen was their **father**?_

There was a moment of strained silence. Harsh, angry breathing was the only thing Farkas could hear for a moment before Jergen continued, his voice audibly more restrained.

"They are _my_ sons and I will do everything I possibly can to protect them. You are right that the blood will only paint a target on them for the Silver Hand, but we can protect the boys from them until they are older and properly trained, just as we would have to if we did not give them the blood.

But the blood will protect them from everything else, from disease and all other enemies. We will not always be there to protect them. This is the only way I can be sure they will be safe, at least from most dangers."

There was another silence and then there was a sigh.

"Very well." A pause, "I do not approve, but I will do as you ask. We can perform the ritual once you and Astridr have returned from your task tomorrow."

"Thank you, Harbinger."

Farkas heard shuffling and hurriedly made his way back to his room as quietly and as quickly as he could before he was caught, his thirst forgotten. He threw himself onto his bed and pulled the furs to cover himself, feigning sleep.

He heard Jergen's footsteps walking towards their room and Farkas' heart hammered in his chest as the footsteps halted at their door.

Farkas breathed a sigh of relief as the door was shut quietly. His head was spinning from everything he had learned that night. Jergen was their _father_, there was a curse (or a gift) of some sort, _Jergen_ was their father, Kodlak had agreed to curse (bless?) the twins, Jergen was their father, the Silver Hand would be a danger to them, _Jergen was their father!_

He really really needed to talk to Vilkas about this. Soon.


End file.
